Tuesday, December 16, 2014

On
Tuesday, November 11, Veterans Day, the Center for BrainHealth at The
University of Texas at Dallas
celebrated Lyda Hill and her dedication to America’s servicemen and women,
presenting her with its highest honor, the Legacy Award. The BrainHealth Legacy
Award recognizes the pioneering spirit of individuals whose vision and
dedication to brain research enable the Center to explore the vast potential of
the human mind.

Michael and Lindsey
Wisenbaker

Dinner
Chair Lynn McBee commenced the program describing Ms. Hill as “an individual
who truly epitomizes the meaning of giving through serving those who have
served”, saying to Ms. Hill, “You approach everything with gusto! And tonight
we hope to show you the same gusto as we celebrate you and the lives you
touch."

After four of
the Center’s veterans presented her with the gleaming crystal award, Ms. Hill
explained that her nephew, Michael Wisenbaker, deserved a lot of the credit. An
Air Force F-16 pilot and Iraq war veteran, he strongly urged her to find a
solution to a truly underfunded challenge: the often overwhelming and unseen injuries
of war that make the transition from military to civilian life difficult for
veterans and military service members.

Ross Perot, Margot
Perot, Betsy Waggoner, John Waggoner

Her quest led
her to give $2 million to the Center for BrainHealth’s Brain Performance
Institute to activate the Warrior Training Team, mobile units of clinicians and
veterans who deliver effective, evidence-based programs that build brain
resilience, achieve brain regeneration and reverse losses in cognitive function.

“Lyda,
having a warrior’s spirit herself, knew she had to do something…And that she
has done”, said Dr. Sandra Chapman, BrainHealth Founder and Chief Director. “Lyda’s
gift ignited the extension of our proven trainings to go well beyond our
current Department of Defense funded research.”

Charles and Pat McEvoy

The
Warrior Training Team has reached more than 500 warriors, including active duty
elite special forces, veterans, and military spouses and caregivers, in Texas, Alabama,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho,Virginia and Washington, DC in
the last year. Projections for next year are in the thousands.

Jan and Trevor
Rees-Jones

“Thanks
to Lyda’s gift, our brothers and sisters in arms are getting the opportunity to
focus on training their brains with the same intensity that they do their
bodies,” said Lt. Morgan Luttrell, US Navy SEAL (Retired). “The strategies I
learned assisted me as a leader in the SEAL teams while at home training or
deployed on combat missions around the world. Today I continue to apply the
strategies and benefit as a husband, father, student, and an active member in
society.”

The event was
held at The Joule Hotel and was attended by approximately 250 guests, including
many of our nation’s treasured veterans